


Remember Day

by Merfilly



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Gen, Storytelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-07-12
Updated: 2006-07-12
Packaged: 2017-11-27 05:33:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/658521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>J'onn tells the two Birds a story of their fathers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remember Day

Dinah smiled brightly at John Jones, as he approached her and Barbara in the newly reopened Metropolis Mall of the Americas. She moved from Barbara’s side to throw her arms unabashedly around the neck of one of her oldest, dearest friends. The redhead watched as the taller man nuzzled the tiny woman, and thought that such raw affection had become something of a standard since the Battle. Old friends, former lovers, casual acquaintances…all of them had found that life was too precious to hold back affection.

“I see you spend the day in your accustomed manner, Dinah,” John said, before tipping his fedora to the lady with her. “Hello, ma’am. Excuse me for not greeting you first.”

“John Jones, meet Barbara Gordon,” Dinah said, her eyes twinkling merrily. She knew Barbara knew who her friend was, but wondered if John knew the true nature of the wheelchair bound woman. 

“A pleasure…and an honor,” John said, bowing his head to her. Dinah smiled a bit; he knew exactly who Barbara was.

“The pleasure is mine,” Barbara said, blushing just a tiny bit at his honor comment. 

“Hey, Detective, we were on our way to the Ice Dreamery; wanna join us?” Dinah asked, before linking her arm in his to imply he had no real choice. 

“Dinah, you know I am always yours on this day,” he played back, his eyes showing just a hint of solemnity. 

“This is Barbara’s first Remember Day out with me,” Dinah said, smiling fondly at her best friend.

“And it’s nice to listen to the stories of another police kid’s father for a change,” Barbara laughed. “We should have gotten Dad to come too, Dinah. He knows lots of stories about your dad.”

“Gordon…Jim Gordon?” John asked, one eyebrow rising. “I am doubly honored, now. Jim and Larry saved my life once.”

“Okay, you never told me this story,” Dinah pouted. “So you will have to tell us over ice cream.”

“I’d be delighted to,” he told her, before smiling at the redhead, noting her curiosity. He could almost hear her mind buzzing with questions on how his path had crossed her father’s.

`~`~`~`~`

It had been a pretty desperate track to follow his suspect out of his jurisdiction, but John Jones could not, would not conscience the man doing any more harm. He had been almost too late to save the last victim, and he still felt the guilt for failing three others, before he found the pattern, and the culprit. As dark a night as it had been, John should have had the case rolled up in one deft move, as the man still had his victim’s blood on him.

John had not seen the blowtorch in time. Its sudden flare, with him completely unprepared to face the flame had disrupted everything…almost revealing his secrets to the culprit.

`~`~`~`~`

John had hunched down closer to the table, with both ladies leaning in to listen. Barbara and Dinah knew what secrets he referred to, and Dinah’s casual glance around was touching, to the big man. He could tell more effectively that no one was listening to them, but kept his voice low anyway, keeping the feel of his beloved dime-store novels. 

`~`~`~`~`

Once John had control again, the culprit and his damnable blowtorch were gone. The detective was not fully in control of his special tracking abilities yet, still offset by the sudden flash of the white-hot flame. He set about using his more earthbound detective skills, to learn who the man was and where he might have gone. 

And that was how he had come to be in Gotham, on the trail of one man called Bernard Lynns. Lynns, who had carved up three girls and set them on fire while still alive. The fourth had managed to escape, because of John, before the fire caught. She was still in the hospital, and John could only hope he could help her mind survive the experience.

Lynns must have been tipped off, learned that the detective from Middleton was on his case still. He set a hard chase through Gotham’s underworld, making John work hard for the collar. In the course of his investigation, he touched base with Larry Lance, a friend he had met on a flight from justice case some months prior. Larry could not give any official help, but he and his partner, Jim Gordon, passed on all they could in the way of tips, while looking out for him.

The chase ended in a run down warehouse, as they so often did in that seedy, corrupt town. John went in after having placed a call to Larry, telling him the suspect had a hostage, his pregnant wife. Larry had asked him not to get too close, but then John had smelled smoke. A scream, from a woman, and John’s fate was set.

The fire spread quickly, making it hard for John in more ways than one. He worked his way through the smoke, shying from the dancing, flickering fire to reach the woman, who was screaming for her husband over and over. The detective struggled against his fear, working his way around the fire until he could reach her. That was when he saw Bernard Lynns, collapsed near the source of the fire.

“Save him, mister, save my husband!” the bound, heavily pregnant woman shrieked, despite the evidence on her face that he had done this to her.

“You first,” he managed, praying she did not see the unearthly color of his eyes as he tore her bonds and took her out of the warehouse. The flames were licking ever higher and higher when the man turned to go back in. Dying in the fire would be too clean for what he had done to those women. He just did not realize just how unsound the roof was. When it came crashing down, spreading more fire all around the big man, he was as lost as his suspect.

When he came to, Larry Lance was kneeling next to him, and Jim Gordon was standing in the mouth of the alley, looking for the ambulance to come. John could smell seared flesh, and saw the dead body of Bernard Lynns lying nearby. He also saw soot and small burns on both the policemen’s hands and faces.

“Pull it together,” Larry said sternly, and John realized one of his secrets was evident in the wrong hue of eye and skin. He concentrated, pulling it all together, as Jim walked back over, knowing these two men held his secrets and had saved him from dying in the fire.

“They’re on their way.” He glanced uncomfortably at John. “Detective, you should know Miss Lynns passed out after you got her out safely. And we’ve got plenty on Lynns himself to be sure that this goes down as a death by criminal misadventure.” He never mentioned the alien cast, not even in his public mind, as John nodded. All he could see was a man who had tried the hardest to do the right thing.

`~`~`~`~`

John sat back, his tale done, as he sucked on his malted. Barbara looked thoughtful, while Dinah looked happy to hear another tale of her father.

“No wonder Dad never got squeamish about me being meta,” Dinah laughed softly. “He’d already seen a little green alien.”

John laughed softly with her, and then smiled at Barbara. “I found out later, it was your father who was first into the building, Miss. I had apparently made it close enough to be pulled free, with Bernard, but he finished it.” John shook his head. “Larry told me he never even hesitated, as I was, ahem, indisposed.”

“Dad’s got so many tales under his belt, and I’ve probably heard maybe a tenth of them,” Barbara murmured. “Lynns…His wife was pregnant, the baby would have been Garfield Lynns,” she said, her memory ticking away.

“Firefly,” Dinah finished for her, shuddering.

“I believe so,” the big man said, shaking his head. “The apple does not fall far.”

“So, you’re coming over tonight, right?” Dinah pressed, finishing her banana split. “I’ve got Chocos and movies,” she teased.

“And work,” Barbara stressed just so, earning a grimace from Dinah.

“That too.” She smiled flirtatiously at John. “How about it, tall and handsome?”

“I believe that would be a good way to remember your father, Dinah.”


End file.
